Hope and a Prayer
by Kylenne
Summary: As Imani Shepard wanders through the Alliance's Forward Operating Base in the ruins of London, checking in with her friends and companions for what she fears might be the final time, some comrades are a bit harder to say goodbye to. Thane Krios is one of them.


In a night full of surreal scenes seen as she fought her way across the burning London cityscape, none yet were as strange to Imani Shepard as the sight of Thane Krios leading a small group of black-clad drell assassins and saboteurs in prayer inside the smoking, debris-filled remnants of an electronics store.

Strange, but more comforting to her than he would ever know. Thane, who for all intents and purposes should not have been standing there on that London street corner, was a symbol of unwavering faith and resilience to her, something Imani needed rather desperately at that moment. She watched from a respectful distance, not wanting to intrude, and it occurred to her then just how much he'd changed in the time she'd known him. The man who considered himself a lone wolf had grown into a leader in his own right, as much as she or Garrus were. His people looked to him with pride and respect.

With his prayer concluded, his team watched in quiet reverence as she went to him, then prudently began to check their omni-tools and equipment in a gesture of understanding. No one needed to say a word, because they all surely knew what she meant to him. What being there meant.

Thane turned to smile at her, and when he did, it was as though every tense thought she had melted away. "Siha," he greeted her, and reached out to take her hand.

"Looks like this is it," Imani said.

"Indeed. One final glorious battle, to determine the fate of all life in the galaxy. It seems we have been in this place before," Thane said.

"Somehow a suicide mission through the Omega 4 Relay didn't seem nearly as daunting as this," Imani admitted. Thane squeezed her hand, his soft scales imbuing a comforting sensation of warmth through her thin gauntlets. Her long eyelashes fluttered a bit unconsciously, as they always did at Thane's touch.

"It never does. Still, we prevailed," Thane said. "We fought, and we prevailed. You led us to victory against the Collectors, and you will do so once again against the Reapers. You always find a way."

Imani turned briefly away from him then, looking out over the twisted wreckage of shuttles strewn amongst collapsed buildings, taking in the grim shadow of dark colossi obscuring a broken skyline that never seemed like it would stop burning. "How can you be so sure?" she asked him, her strong voice suddenly a bit small and afraid just then.

When she faced him again, he stiffened a bit, trembling slightly in her grasp. His eyes sharply grew wider as he stared at nothing in particular, and she recognized the signs of his drell recall.

"Fear and shame fill me as I pace the cabin. I slam my fist upon her desk. My eyes fill with tears, weeping for my own weakness as despair threatens to consume me. She brings a gentle hand to my cheek, filled with warmth. '_Thane. Be alive with me tonight,' _she says breathlessly. I become tangled in her arms, finding solace admist the pain. Her tongue slides into my mouth and I am no longer afraid."

With the memory finished, Thane drew closer to her, close enough that she felt his warm breath against her cheeks. "I am sure, because no one means hope as much as you. No one brings hope the way you do. I am alive, siha. Alive and stronger than I have ever been in my life, not merely awakened but reborn to an even greater purpose than I could have imagined. Because of you, and the hope you gave me."

"Thane..."

Undaunted, he continued, his gaze unwavering in the depths of its intensity: "You are the wrath of Arashu herself, come to liberate this world and all life in the galaxy. And I will fight at your side, protecting you with all that I am, for as long as you will it," he said.

"Well, when you put it that way," Imani said, smiling faintly, "how's forever sound?"

"Reasonable," Thane said dryly.

They fell silent for a long moment, Imani's heart swelling as she took in his face for what she feared might be the last time, almost as if she were burning his handsome features into her memory in some small attempt to grasp at his eidetic recall for herself. She gazed into wide eyes as dark, beautiful, and mysterious as the night sky. His cheeks, high and sharp and still flushed from the exertion of battle, were green as the grass on a Mindoir summer's day, framed by frills of a deep rust. Her gaze fell then to the curve of his lips, thick and full, and her mind turned to thoughts of how soft they were against her own. It lingered there, and she couldn't help the faint smile that followed.

Thane Krios was so beautiful it broke Imani's heart sometimes to think about it too much. But never so beautiful as he was when he looked at her full of such affection and devotion, surrounded by rubble and broken glass, the calm at the eye of the storm. Gods, he was like a light in this darkness around them, and all she wanted to do was bask in that warmth as long as she could. It gave her strength like few other things did, and she never needed it more than in that moment, when everything seemed like it was falling apart, and everyone looked to her to end it. Thane was sanctuary for a weary heart, and Imani's was more weary than most after months and months of this damned war. How could she possibly tell him what that meant to her, how much his quiet presence at her back meant, knowing that whatever trials she faced, he was there to support her? How could she tell him how much joy it brought her to have a second chance with him, after believing they would have so little time to share?

How could she possibly say goodbye to him?

"No matter what happens out there, Thane, I love you," Imani finally said, choking back tears. "With all my heart. The Neteru were with me the day you came into my life." It seemed so ridiculously inadequate, listening to those words as they came out of her mouth, but they were the only words she could manage to find.

"And I you, my siha. My Imani," Thane said softly. He reached up with his other hand and gently stroked her cheek; her breath caught in her throat at the sensation of his warm fingers caressing her skin. "Your love has meant more to me than mere words could ever express. You taught me that there is still beauty and hope to be found in this galaxy, that there are still things worth fighting for. I will be forever grateful. And if we should fall this night, know that I will await you across the sea. I swear it."

"I'm holding you to that, love," she replied.

As he drew her into his arms, lean and strong, Imani began to believe that might well be a long time off. And in the ferocity of his tight embrace, as his mouth found hers and his tongue slipped between her teeth in hunger and more than a little quiet desperation, she _knew_ it would.


End file.
